BOONE, N.C. – Appalachian State University men's basketball opens Southern Conference action at archrival Western Carolina on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Ramsey Center.

The Mountaineers (1-6, 0-0 SoCon) are looking to begin the conference slate with a win for the 22nd time in 42 SoCon openers while the Catamounts (3-6, 1-0) look to remain perfect in conference play.

Both squads are coming off losses to nationally-ranked foes. The Apps fell to then No. 16/15 Missouri on Saturday while WCU dropped a 72-64 decision at No. 13/14 Illinois on Tuesday.

SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS• Western Carolina enters Saturday’s matchup after a pair of narrow, non-conference losses at Eastern Kentucky (72-70) and No. 13/14 Illinois (72-64).
• The Catamounts, who trailed by 10 points at halftime against the Illini, rallied to tie the contest at 54-54 with just under six minutes to go, but Illinois reeled off a 10-0 run to jump in front in the closing moments.
• WCU also suffered a tough defeat at EKU on Saturday. The Catamounts could not hold a 43-32 halftime lead as the Hilltoppers shot a blistering 51.7 percent in the second half to come all the way back.
• Western has defeated Mars Hill, Howard and Furman this season.
• In its SoCon opener, WCU took down Furman by a 79-65 final on Nov. 28 as Trey Sumler led the Catamounts with 24 points.
• Western Carolina and Appalachian should provide an entertaining contest as the teams rank No. 3 and 4, respectively, in scoring offense in the SoCon.
• The Catamounts have been dangerous on the offensive side of the ball, where they average 44.4 percent from the floor, the second-best mark in the conference.
• Sumler paces WCU and ranks fourth in the SoCon in scoring at 16.6 points per game.

SERIES HISTORY• Appalachian State has faced Western Carolina more than any other team in school history.
• The first meeting between the Mountaineers and Catamounts took place during the 1927-28 season and, with the exception of three seasons (1932-33, ‘33-34 and ‘44-45), the squads have met every year since.
• Appalachian holds an edge in every aspect of the series. The Mountaineers lead 111-66 overall, 59-22 at home, 41-40 on the road and 11-4 at neutral sites.
• The Apps also hold claim to the largest winning streak in the series, a 14-game string of victories from 1987-93.
• Western’s longest winning streak in the series is six games from 1981-83.
• The Mountaineers have lost two-straight road contests in the series.
• The Catamounts notched an 83-75 victory in the regular-season finale last season when the teams met in Cullowhee.

CONFERENCE OPENERS
• Since joining the Southern Conference in 1971-72, App State has won 21 of its 41 league openers, including 11 of the last 17.
• The Mountaineers are 9-14 in SoCon openers played on the road and are 5-5 in their last 10 conference openers played on the road.
• Appalachian has not opened SoCon play against Western Carolina since Dec. 5, 1979 when it grabbed an 80-69 victory.
• Saturday’s contest marks just the second time that the Apps will face the Catamounts in a SoCon opener.

GLANCING AHEAD
• The Apps close out a four-game road swing with a pair of non-conference contests ats UMKC (Dec. 16) and South Carolina (Dec. 19).
• Appalachian closes out 2012 and the season’s non-conference slate with back-to-back home games against Presbyterian (Dec. 22) and Milligan (Dec. 30).